'Iolani Palace

I visited 'Iolani Palace one afternoon while Rich was in meetings. They give guided tours in the mornings and there are audio self-guided tours in the afternoons. The audio tour took about 45 minutes and was so informative. I realized that I knew virtually nothing about Hawaii before it became a state.

The palace was built in the early 1880s and served as the official residence of the last two monarchs. It was built to have the most modern amenities for the time - indoor plumbing, gas lighting (which was changed to electric just a few years later), even a telephone system. When you consider that Bell invented the telephone in 1876 and Edison made the incandescent light bulb practical in 1879, the palace was ultra modern for its time. When the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the furniture and furnishings were sold at public auction.  It was used for government offices until 1969 when a new capitol building was constructed. Restoration began almost immediately and it was opened to the public in 1978. Many of the original palace objects that were sold at auction have been recovered, but the search continues.

This is one of the plaques that hangs on a gate that goes around the palace grounds. It depicts the Coat of Arms for the Kingdom of Hawaii. The motto is attributed to King Kamehameha III and translates to "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

This building, known as Ali'iolani Hale, was the Kingdom of Hawaii's government office building and is across the street from the palace. It is now used as the Hawaii State Supreme Court building and also houses the Judiciary History Center.

Here's a close-up of the Kamehameha Statue in front of the building.